6 ways to reclaim your attention span

Worn out by getting distracted all the time? Yasmina Floyer finds out how to take back control

Words: Yasmina Floyer

As a teen and young adult, I could read for vast swathes of time undistracted. But recently, I read a (short!) newsletter, where the writer bemoaned the fact that she can no longer read for a solid half hour without getting distracted. Challenge accepted! I set a 30-minute timer and grabbed my book. Surely, I could manage half an hour? Reader, I reached for my phone four times before the timer went off!

I know I am not alone in noticing that my attention span is not what it used to be, and perhaps we have come to accept the ubiquitous perception that our attention spans are shrinking. But is there actually any truth to this?

A 2022 study conducted by King’s College London found that 49% of people reported that they felt their attention spans have decreased. Like them, I took it for granted that my attention was a gradually eroding cliff face, a fact both natural and irrevocable.

However, what is important to note is that this study focused on our perception of our attention spans, not the spans themselves.

Neurologist and author of The Phone Fix: The Brain-Focused Guide to Building Healthy Digital Habits and Breaking Bad Ones (Bloomsbury, £10.99) Dr Faye Begeti tells me that the idea that attention spans are shrinking is a common misconception.

Instead, she says that at a population level, when looking at trends across the entire human species, people are in fact scoring higher on cognitive tests than ever before. This includes IQ tests, academic performance, and even creative output, such as writing more books.

‘The evidence does not support the idea that we are collectively losing the ability to pay attention. As a neurologist, I conduct 30–40-minute consultations, and most patients are fully capable of paying attention in that situation.

‘The issue is not that our attention spans have decreased, but rather that our attention is being misdirected — often towards non-meaningful distractions that don’t align with our goals.’

She suggests that if you are questioning your ability to focus, ask yourself this simple question: Can I watch a 40-minute TV show and follow the plot? If the answer is yes, then you do not have a fundamentally weak attention span: you have the capacity to focus for extended periods.

‘People are still engaging in deep, immersive activities that require attention, it just might be binge-watching multi-hour TV series, playing complex video games, or consuming long-form podcasts. The challenge isn’t the ability to pay attention, but rather where the attention is going.’

Dr Kirren Schnack, a clinical psychologist and author of Ten Times Calmer (Bluebird, £10.99), agrees that changes in attention patterns are likely rooted in the fact that we are switching between tasks more quickly, often spending less time on a single thing before moving to something else.

‘In my experience, many people report this behaviour – something that we call “rapid attention switching”. Constant notifications can be a big contributor to this, and the ease with which we can access digital content — sometimes we might even do it out of habit.’

Dr Schnack turns off her notifications, checking them when she has time to. I have most of my notifications turned off and took a social media break recently, but this didn’t stop me from reflexively opening the app a few times during the early days of my break, highlighting how much of my behaviour had become habitual.

Dr Schnack observes that many people struggle to watch a movie without checking their notifications, or watch something on their phones at the same time (guilty!).

‘This is a classic example of rapid attention switching,’ she explains, ‘though interestingly, some research suggests that while our ability to sustain focused attention on a single task might be challenged, our ability to rapidly shift attention has actually increased. This can be due to how we can immediately check a notification and then go back to what we were doing.’

Living in a society where instant gratification has become the norm can make it all the more difficult to counter distractibility, especially when there is a sense of reward attached to the object of our distraction.

Dr Schnack agrees it is natural for us to seek out things that bring us enjoyment, telling me it is the reason why it can be so easy to get caught up in consuming more and more.

‘In my view it can make the brain want to seek novelty and distraction, which then makes it more difficult to maintain attention on other things, that might feel a bit boring in comparison.’

She tells me that the key to breaking this cycle is to stop the constant switching, but even more important than that to stop filling every free moment with a digital distraction. ‘Sometimes, just sitting and thinking is better for our brains.’

Are you ADHD masking? Find out how to tell here.

When I ask Dr Begeti about the consequences of this frequent switching, she explains that this is likely to put people into ‘low power mode’, where the executive brain becomes fatigued.

‘In this state, people become even more prone to distraction, making it harder to focus and get things done efficiently. This creates a vicious cycle where they feel constantly busy but are not making real progress. Over time, this can lead to stress, frustration, and even burnout.’

One of the things that she looks out for when it comes to factors reducing our attention span is lack of sleep, since sleep plays a crucial role in restoring the executive brain and multiple studies showing sleep deprivation reduces self-control, making people more prone to distraction.

Another factor is emotional regulation.

‘The same part of the brain that governs attention is also responsible for regulating emotions. During times of high stress, emotional turmoil, or mental health struggles, people have a reduced capacity to concentrate. I have often seen patients in the memory clinic who report struggling to pay attention, but it is because they are spending so much mental energy trying to emotionally regulate really difficult emotions.’

Blindly accepting that our attention spans are dwindling and giving in to frequent distractions can leave us feeling powerless, but understanding the role that distractibility has to play can empower us to take back control.

Gaining a deeper understanding of this has given me a whole new appreciation for the term, ‘attention economy’. It has made me reflect on the value that we place on attention and how it can be a commodity we have agency over when it comes to the choices we make and what we choose to spend our attention on.

Whist it is hugely encouraging to know that we are far more in control of our attention than we may realise, Dr Begeti also calls on us not to be too hard on ourselves, reminding us that it is normal for attention to wane, especially when fatigued.

‘I studied at the University of Cambridge and work at Oxford, where I am surrounded by some of the world’s greatest minds, yet at the end of a long conference, many of them struggle to pay attention. This is not a failure of the brain but a natural phenomenon.’

Sometimes then, the best thing we can do is simply rest.

How we can reclaim our attention spans

1. Reframe your mindset

‘For most people, attention is not depleted, it is being misdirected,’ says Dr Begeti. ‘This is not a permanent issue but something that can be reversed with intentional changes. If you are worried that you are suffering from severe inattention, then it is important to seek medical advice.’

2. Choose a dedicated location for focus

‘The brain is an association machine,’ says Dr Begeti. ‘We naturally link locations with specific actions, like associating the bathroom with brushing our teeth. Create a “focus zone” by choosing a desk, library, or coffee shop where you only do focused work. Avoid using this space for distractions to reinforce the habit of concentration.’

3. Use the 5-minute test

We often interrupt ourselves out of habit when a random thought enters our mind. Instead of acting on it impulsively, tell yourself to wait 5 minutes before switching tasks, says Dr Begeti. Acting on every thought reinforces the habit, signalling to your brain that these distractions are important, which leads to even more random thoughts surfacing. If, after 5 minutes, you are still struggling to focus, take an intentional break away from your focus location to reset.

4. Set clear boundaries

Dr Schnack encourages us to look out for increased stress or mood changes, as that is a point where we should set boundaries, such as not using our phones after a certain time in the evening and setting a limit on our total duration of tech use.

‘If you’re busy, distracted, overwhelmed, or tired, it’s time to set boundaries. It’s also sensible to just set a daily limit,’ she says. ‘Just like we shouldn’t spend all day watching TV or all day running a marathon, we shouldn’t spend all day using tech.’

5. Pay attention to self-care

Eating well, making time for physical activity, and sticking to a good sleep routine all help boost our ability to pay attention for longer. ‘Sleep, nutrition, and exercise all play a role in cognitive function, which directly impacts attention, so if you want to reclaim or improve your attention, you need to feed all these needs,’ says Dr Schnack.

6. Work your attention muscle

‘Attentional fitness is similar to physical fitness,’ says Dr Schnack. ‘Practising sustained focus on single tasks without multitasking, and gradually increasing the duration of focused attention, can be really helpful’.

• Dr. Faye Begeti is a neurology doctor and neuroscientist at Oxford University Hospitals. She’s on a mission to demystify the wonders of the brain and share her clinical knowledge through her Instagram page (@the_brain_doctor).

While recognising the advantages of technology, she also underscores the importance of moderated and mindful use. Her game-changing debut book, The Phone Fix: How to transform your smartphone habits (Bloomsbury, £10.99), is out now.
drfayebegeti.com

• Dr Kirren Schnack is a clinical psychologist, and has worked with children and adults, including inpatient and outpatient NHS departments and in the law courts, for 19 years.

She posts accessible advice and information about anxiety, mental health and her practice to her more than half a million followers on TikTok daily. Follow her @drkirren
drschnack.com.